Whatever Happened to Miranda?
by karmakaze
Summary: Something horrible is happening to Miranda and Kate, and Lizzie feels helpless to stop it. I don't own the Lizzie McGuire characters, ZoogDisney does. I REWROTE CHAPTER SIX SINCE PEOPLE SAID THAT IT WAS REALLY BAD!!!!!!!!!!
1. Gone

Lizzie McGuire

            Lizzie sat at her desk in her bedroom, densely attempting to concentrate on her Algebra homework.  Lizzie had just entered high school, and nothing was going right for her.  She, Gordo, and Miranda had no classes together, and Ethan had a new girlfriend who didn't happen to be named Lizzie.  Life just wasn't fair.  Without Ethan, how was life worth living?  

Just then, the phone rang, and she picked it up.  "Hello," she said.

            "Hey," Miranda said.  "It's me, Miranda."

            "Oh, my gosh, Miranda, I miss you _soooooooo_ much since we've started freshmen year!"

            "I miss you too, but that's not why I called you," Miranda said seriously.

            "Okay," Lizzie said.  "What's it about?  I hope it's not something _bad_."

            "You see, it is, Lizzie.  In fact…" she said.

            "Click."

            "Miranda?" Lizzie shrieked.  "_MIRANDA_!  Miranda, this isn't funny!"

            A thousand horrid thoughts ran through Lizzie's brain.  She wasn't used to thinking about kidnapping, or horror, but now she did somehow.  Calm down, Lizzie, she thought.  It was probably just a faulty phone system or something.  Maybe she used the cord phone again, and it didn't hook up right.  Apprehensively, Lizzie started dialing Miranda's home, and Mrs. Sanchez answered.

            "Hello," Mrs. Sanchez said.

            "Hello, this is Lizzie.  May I please speak to Miranda?" Lizzie asked. "I was on the phone with her a minute ago, and we were disconnected."

            "MIRANDA called you?" she asked in pure shock.  "But that's not possible!  She never returned from school."

            "But it's _Sunday_!" Lizzie exclaimed.  "Where could she be?  Oh my gosh, I'm going to call Gordo now."

            "I already have," Miranda's mother said.  "I told his parents not to tell Gordo."

            Lizzie was taken aback.  "_Why_?"

            "Because, I don't want you going looking for her.  I think this may be pretty bad," she said.

            Lizzie could hear her crying, and she wished she could do something.  "She _was_ about to tell me something on the phone, but then, nothing."

            "Oh, dear," Mrs. Sanchez said.  "See, I've called every friend she has, even that Ethan boy she's always talking about."

            Normally, Lizzie and Miranda would be embarrassed that their mothers had called Ethan, but this was different.  "Did you try calling the school?" Lizzie asked.

            "Eight times to be exact," she said.  "I have to go.  I'll see you later, Lizzie.  Oh, and don't go looking for Miranda.  You won't find her."

…….If anyone reviews, I'll update soon, but I have to go now………………………….  


	2. Who Are You?

Chapter Three

Okay, just one thing.  This does have some supernatural stuff in it, so just a warning if that bothers you.

            It was four thirty, and Lizzie had been pacing around the house all day, waiting for the time to find out about Miranda. 

            "And just where are you off to?" Mrs. McGuire asked her fretfully.

            "Okay," Lizzie replied.  "I'm just going to the Digital Bean."

            "To do what, Lizzie?" Mrs. McGuire asked.  "I don't want you going out all the time now, especially since Miranda's gone missing."

            "It's a group project.  The computers there are a lot faster than ours at home.  I'll be in a group.  Trust me, it's safe," Lizzie said sincerely.  "And, um, there are going to be parents there."

            "Well, I guess it's alright, then.  Just, be careful.  Please, sweetie," Mrs. McGuire said.  "And call me as soon as you get there, and make sure you don't stay there for more than an hour.  I don't know about this.  Is Gordo going along?"

            "You know, that's a great idea, why don't I call him and ask?" Lizzie wondered out loud.  It was certainly not fun lying to your own parents, but when Miranda's life was in danger, there was no other way.

            "Okay, here's the phone," Lizzie's mother said, handing her the phone.

            Lizzie dialed Gordo's number.  "Hey, Gordo.  Are you coming to the Digital Bean to work on our Social Studies project today?"

            "But Lizzie?  We don't have a Social Studies project," Gordo said.  "Is this about Miranda?"

            "We'll talk when we get there," Lizzie said.  When she saw her mother give her a look of suspicion, she quickly added, "About the project.  These railroads in Kansas we have to plan are going to be hard to make, but we'll have time to..."

            "Okay.  See you then.  Do you need a ride?  My dad can take us."

            "Sure," Lizzie said.  "That sounds great."

            Lizzie hung up the phone.  "Gordo's dad is taking us.  Come on, Mom, it'll be totally safe!"

            "Okay, Lizzie.  I guess you can't back out on school.  Just be careful," her mother said.

            In about a minute, Gordo and his dad were there, and they were on their way to the Digital Bean.  When they arrived, it was time for questions.  

            "Okay, so why are we really here?" Gordo asked.

            "Well, you see, someone called and told me to meet them here at our usual table.  They said they'd tell us where Miranda is," Lizzie informed him.

            "Okay," Gordo said, holding her hand.

            At first, Lizzie wondered why Gordo did that.  Yet, in a way, she was glad that she did.  She was scared, and had no idea what she would find.  Would Miranda be dead?  Would it be too late?

            Apparently, someone was there to give them information.  A blonde girl, wearing sunglasses sat at their table.

            "She's wearing a black cloak," Gordo commented.

            "What's she trying to hide?" Lizzie murmured.

            "Sit down, you guys," she said coldly.

            "Who are you?" Lizzie demanded.  "And where's Miranda?"

            The girl pulled off her sunglasses, and the entire color of her eye was a pale blue that was almost white, with no pupils.  She quickly put them back on, but they knew who she was.

            "Kate?" Lizzie asked.  "How?  And why?"

            "What happened to you?" Gordo asked.  "And how are you involved in Miranda's kidnapping?"

            "I'm not," she replied simply.  "I was sent by The Power to tell you never to look for Miranda again."

            "Kate, this isn't like you!" Gordo said.  "Tell us what's going on!"

            "Who is this Kate?" she asked groggily.  "I've never heard of her before.  Are you Kate?"


	3. Instructions

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

            Miranda missing?  Lizzie wondered hysterically.  She remembered all of the good times she had Miranda had had together.  Images flooded back, the first time she met Miranda, at preschool, she and Miranda making fun of Gordo the first day of Kindergarten, her confiding her secret crush in fourth grade.  Could her best friend really be gone, just disappeared like that?  This was too much for her to handle on her own, and she needed someone to confide in.  Gulp, Mom.

            She went downstairs, and tried to draw back tears.  "Lizzie, sweetie, is everything all right?" her mother asked.

            "I got a weird call from Miranda, and then suddenly she hung up.  Then, I called back to her house, and her mother says that she never came home from school," Lizzie said.

            "OH, honey!  Did she call the police?" Mrs. McGuire said, turning pale with the thought of losing a child.

            "I don't know," Lizzie said.  "She told me that she talked to Gordo's mom, but asked her not to tell Gordo.  I don't know why.  This is all just so weird."

            "Here, you dial Miranda's number.  I want to talk to her mother," Mrs. McGuire said.

            "Mom, I'm really worried about Miranda.  I just hope it's not something bad," Lizzie said.

            "Well, we'll see, honey," Mrs. McGuire said, seemingly helpless, as she picked up the phone.

            "Mrs. Sanchez, this is Mrs. McGuire.  Lizzie told me what happened to Miranda, and I wanted to know if you know anything more."

            "Oh," Mrs. Sanchez replied sadly.  "It was about five o'clock, and I had just come home from work, and Miranda wasn't home.  I called the school, and they told me that no one saw her leave.  I would have called the police right away, and reported her missing, but just then, I received an anonymous phone call from someone saying that if I got the authorities involved, they would kill her," Mrs. Sanchez started to cry.

            "Oh, no!" Mrs. McGuire said, almost crying herself.  "What are you going to do?  I mean; if we can't get the police involved, we're just on our own, aren't we?"

            "Not entirely," Mrs. Sanchez continued.  "They told us that they would call back at 1:00 a.m. with further instructions."

            "So are you going to just stay home and wait?" Mrs. McGuire asked, not knowing what to say.  "I mean, I hope to God that Miranda is okay, but they might just kill you, or put you in danger yourself."

            "Miranda is my daughter, Mrs. McGuire.  And I'd go to the ends of the Earth to save her, just like I know you would if it were Lizzie or Matt," Mrs. Sanchez said.

            Lizzie looked at her mom earnestly, biting her lower lip, and hoping, praying that her friend would be all right.

            Later that night, Lizzie came downstairs, and sat by the phone.  "Lizzie, what are you doing up at this hour?" Mrs. McGuire asked.

            "Mom, I can't sleep until I know what happened to Miranda," Lizzie replied.

            "But honey, it's a school night.  You need your sleep," Mrs. McGuire said.  "There's nothing you can do for Miranda now, and I'm sure she would want you to do well on your History test tomorrow."

            "Mom, how can I even think about school when my best friend's life is in danger?" Lizzie asked pleadingly.

            "I suppose you're right, Lizzie," Mrs. McGuire said.  

            Ring.

            "The phone!" Mrs. McGuire and Lizzie yelled at the same time.

            "Let me pick it up, Lizzie," Mrs. McGuire said.  "I don't want you in any more danger than you need to be."

            Lizzie was personally a little bit annoyed.  Here, her best friend was in danger, and she was being treated like a little kid who couldn't handle it.  It wasn't fair.

            "Hello," Mrs. McGuire said.  

            "Put Lizzie on the phone," the voice demanded.

            "My daughter?  Why do you want to talk to her?" Mrs. McGuire implored.

            "Now," it hissed.

            "Lizzie, they want to talk to you," Mrs. McGuire said in a condition of terror.

            "Hello," Lizzie said.

            "I don't have your friend," the voice said.  "But I know where she is.  If you want her back, you'll have to agree to some small tasks."

            "What are they?" Lizzie asked.

            "Come to the Digital Bean at five o'clock tomorrow, and I'll tell you.  I'll be sitting at the table you and your friends usually sit at.  Be there, if you value your friend's life.  And your own."


	4. Why Me?

            Completely bewildered, Lizzie stood there, staring at Kate, or the person who should be Kate.  "Who is The Power?" Gordo asked.  "And what does he want with our best friend?"            

            "Or you?" Lizzie asked.

            "I am not authorized," she said wearily.  With that, she fled from The Digital Bean at a speed Lizzie never had imagined possible.

            "Gordo, what's going on?" Lizzie asked.  "What are we going to do?"  
            "This is just extremely weird," Gordo said.  "I think we need some help."

            "From who?" Lizzie asked.

            "We'll call a few of Kate's friends and see if _they _know what's happened to her," Gordo suggested.

            "We can't just call them and ask, oh, hi Claire.  So, does Kate have amnesia?  Does she no longer have pupils in her eyes," Lizzie said.

            "You have a point," Gordo said.  "But what other choice do we have?"

            "Well," Lizzie said.  "None, I guess."

            "Let's use the phone at my house," Gordo said.  "We'll say that we wanted to work on the project alone, without the others."

            "Works for me," Lizzie said.  She picked up the phone that the customers were allowed to use, and called her mother.

            "Hi, Mom, it's Lizzie.  Gordo and I are going to work a bit at his house for a while.  I'll be back in awhile," Lizzie said.

            "No, Lizzie," her mother said.  "Come home, now."

            "But Mom, this is…" Lizzie objected.

            "No, I mean it, now!" her mother said.

            "Okay," Lizzie said.  "Is something wrong?"

            "Yes Lizzie," her mother said.  "Very wrong.  I'll tell you when you get home.  Tell Gordo to go home too."

            Her mother hung up the phone, and Lizzie turned to Gordo.  "Mom says that something bad has happened, and to come home immediately.  She told me to tell you to go home too.  Gordo, this is really starting to scare me."

            "Starting?" Gordo asked.  "I don't see where the word _start _comes in."

            When Lizzie returned home, her mother stood in the kitchen, palely slicing onions for that night's dinner.  "Honey, go check your e-mails.  Now."

            "What's in my e-mails?" Lizzie demanded.

            "Just go!" her mother shouted.

            Usually, Mrs. McGuire didn't yell at Lizzie like that, but this was hardly an ordinary day.  Lizzie ran upstairs, and logged onto her computer's e-mail.

From                                                                Subject                         Recieved

ThePower@alternatedimension.com               Your friend                9/18/03

            Lizzie immediately clicked on the message, and read it.

Dearest Lizzie,

          Your friend is beyond your help.  We need her more than you do.  Besides that, after one o'clock tonight, she won't remember you anyway.  So, don't you worry about finding her.  She is lost in more ways than one, silly girl.  I suggest you just give up.  Your friends Kate and Miranda are here to help us with our goals.  We need help, Lizzie.  Your help.  Only if you wish to.  Your other friend has already quite willingly agreed to help us.  You can't win.

                                                                             The Power

            Lizzie shrieked.  Had Gordo really agreed to help them?  This just wasn't like him!  Why would he do such a thing?  Lizzie had to do something, and fast.


	5. Only Way

            Lizzie sat at her desk, and remembered something that she had disregarded in the past.  The enemy had told Mrs. Sanchez that they would call her at one.  Without hesitating to ask her mother, Lizzie dialed Miranda's number to reach Mrs. Sanchez.  "Hello?" Mrs. Sanchez said.  "Who are you?" she demanded frantically.

            "It's just Lizzie," Lizzie said, trying not to act as hysterical as she felt.  "I just wanted to know if they called you.  They called me."       

            "Yes, Lizzie.  They called me.  What did they say to _you_?" Mrs. Sanchez asked her.

            "They told me to go to The Digital Bean, and wait at our usual table," Lizzie began.

            "Was Miranda there?" Mrs. Sanchez interrupted hopefully.  "Is she okay?"  
            "I'm sorry," Lizzie said.  "But no.  She wasn't there.  Kate Sanders was, though.  Her eyes were a pale blue color, and she had no pupils.  She didn't even remember who she was.  And when she left, she ran at a speed I've never seen a human being run at," Lizzie said nervously.  She hadn't wanted to make Mrs. Sanchez worry even _more,_ but anything that would help find Miranda seemed worth it to Lizzie.  "What did they say to you?"

            "They said that they have a program that is selecting students for some sort of bizarre secret operation.  They target students your age, for some reason.  I have no idea why.  It's all getting very confusing to me.  I don't know what to do, Lizzie.  I just don't.  I don't know if I'll ever see Miranda again," Mrs. Sanchez updated, starting to cry.

            "Don't say that," Lizzie urged.  "We'll find a way to bring her back.  I promise."

            "Don't make promises you can't keep, Lizzie.  I have to go," Mrs. Sanchez said.

            Since her family shared an e-mail address right now, she assumed that her mother would tell her if anything else bizarre popped up.  While Lizzie lay asleep, she had a weird dream.  Miranda walked up to her.

            "Miranda?" she asked.  "Are you okay?"  
            "Come save me, Lizzie," she said.  "There's only one way."

            "Miranda, come back!" she yelled.

            "Save me, Lizzie," she said, disappearing into a massive cloud of fire and smoke.  "Save me."

            "Miranda, come back!" she screamed, waking up drenched in sweat.

            Lizzie re-opened her e-mail from last night that was from someone named The Power who had wanted her help.  Hopelessly, she realized that there was only one thing to do.  In desperation for her friend's life, Lizzie haphazardly clicked reply.


	6. A waaaaaaaaay better ending that's not s...

This chapter isn't working, I'm going to re-upload it later because I realize that people are still reading it, and most people disliked the last chapter.


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